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[Interview] ‘The Meg’ Author Steve Alten On the Long Road to Getting His Monster On the Big Screen

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From Disney to Guillermo del Toro, The Meg‘s journey has been an interesting one.

This weekend, The Meg finally arrives on the big screen after many years of false starts that date all the way back to the ’90s; at different points, Jan de Bont and Eli Roth had been attached to direct adaptations of author Steve Alten‘s Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, published in 1997. It’s been a long road, and we chatted with Alten about that journey this week.

But first, long before movie talks, the seed for the novel was planted back in 1975 when Alten was a teenager and had an experience at the movie theater that changed his life forever.

I was fifteen when JAWS hit theaters and that led me to read Benchley’s book,” Alten told us. “From there I read every true life Great White shark encounter. There was always a small blurb about its prehistoric cousin, Carcharodon Megalodon, usually accompanied by a black & white photo of 6 men poised in a set of Meg jaws, but nothing else was out there.”

That seed blossomed in Alten’s subconscious for twenty years while he was supporting his family and earning his bachelors, Masters and doctorate degree in education. Then, at 35 years old, it was time for Alten’s vision to be realized in the form of a novel that instantly begged for a film adaptation.

In August of 1995 I read an article in TIME magazine about the Mariana Trench and hydrothermal vents, which anchored a food chain living in darkness at the bottom of the ocean, and I thought, I wonder if it’s scientifically feasible for that giant shark I read about years ago to still be alive down there,” Alten recalled. “I spent the next few weeks doing research in the library (no internet back then) and discovered it was feasible. So I set the goal that I would write the novel and worked on it every night from ten PM to 3 AM and on weekends.”

Before he even finished the novel, Disney (believe it or not) acquired the rights to Meg in 1996, but nothing ever came together over the next twenty years. Eventually, Alten reclaimed the rights and then Warner Bros. ultimately got hold of them in 2015, leading to the Jon Turteltaub-directed film that’s now in theaters. Needless to say, it’s been quite a long process.

MEG was originally optioned to Disney’s Hollywood Pictures by my first manager, Ken Atchity and his associate Warren Zide,” Alten recalls. “They went through two subpar scripts and then the president of the studio was fired, which led to the rights being reverted back to me – because God-forbid the fired guy did something right and the movie turns out to be big hit…it’s all about ego. Can you imagine a sports franchise firing its GM and then the new GM coming in and trading all the team’s best players just because he didn’t draft them?

Alten continued the long story…

“Nothing happened until 2004 when a friend, Nick Nunziata, who was the founder of CHUD (Cinematic Happenings Under Development) learned I had The Meg rights back. Nick was friendly with Guillermo Del Toro and Lloyd Levin (Hellboy) and they had me write a script. Director Jan de Bont (Twister) was added to the team, and we worked together on my script. The package was taken to New Line. But as the deal was being negotiated, the producers wanted more points off the back end (Larry Gordon, Lloyd’s partner, wanted a king’s ransom and the guy never attended one meeting). The deal was literally signed in the final hour before the studio’s deadline.

Then NL added more producers and Shane Salerno was hired to rewrite the script. Shane ignored the novel and wrote an entirely different story – basically a Moby Dick revenge story with a Japanese whaler chasing the shark. When I read the first draft, I felt ill because I knew this was a franchise-killer. I wrote six pages of notes and pointed out dozens of scientific flaws, but Shane never took a single piece of advice and his rewrite was even worse… and more expensive. By this time, the producers had fallen into two separate camps who would only talk to me (GDT got out ahead of that insanity). Then New Line’s foreign rights guy undersold the foreign markets (who really wanted MEG) and, as a result, they couldn’t get co-financing.

Mercifully, the rights reverted back to me in 2007. I fired everyone and optioned the rights to Belle Avery, (Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead) whose forte was in raising money for movies. Belle loved the book and we wrote a new script together. Seven years of travel, expenses, and hard work later and Belle and Gravity Pictures in China had the money to privately finance MEG. Warner Bros., joined forces and MEG rose from the abyss.”

So what’s next? Where would Alten like to see his franchise go from here?

First and foremost, I hope the movie sparks interest in the books, which in turn fuels demand to make the entire series [into films],” Alten told us. “It’s very important that the studio draw storylines from the novels as they’ll lead the movies down a path that will stay fresh. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel here; the sequels are the map that would keep upping the ante.”

He continued, “I also hope the success of the movie will lead to both movies and TV series based on my other non-MEG novels. Belle Avery has already optioned The LOCH and one other novel for TV, and I am penning a script for my original comedy, DOG TRAINING THE AMERICAN MALE (published under the pen name L.A. Knight). The OMEGA PROJECT, GOLIATH, UNDISCLOSED, and GRIM REAPER: End of Days are unencumbered and are ripe for the big screen, and my biggest international seller is the Mayan Calendar doomsday series, The Mayan Testament (released as DOMAIN, RESURRECTION & PHOBOS in the US).”

If you’re interested in reading Alten’s work, you can learn more on SteveAlten.com. The latest installment in the Meg franchise, Meg: Generations, was just released this year.

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‘In Search of Darkness’ Book Review: A Must-Have for ’80s Horror Fans

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In 2019, the documentary of 80s horror In Search of Darkness became an instant hit with horror fans. Now, a beautiful coffee table style companion book is available and is a must-own for all fans of one of horror’s greatest eras. The book is a walk down the horror aisle of the best mom and pop video store in the heyday of VHS, featuring full color photos, poster art, insightful essays and more. More than just a nostalgic throwback, In Search of Darkness is the kind of book I wish I’d had back in my years as a burgeoning horror fan but is also satisfying for the film fanatic I have become in the years since.

The format is beautifully and simply laid out, with at least a dozen (usually more) movies from each year of the decade presented in order of release accompanied by informative and insightful essays by the authors Heather Wixson and Patrick Bromley. Both authors have been mainstays of film journalism, specializing in horror, for many years. Wixson began her career in 2007 with Dread Central and has spent the past ten years as the Managing Editor of Daily Dead, from which she recently retired to focus on books and other projects. She has devoted the past several years to interviewing and writing books about the Make-up and Special Effects wizards that have brought so much to film over the years, specifically the horror genre.

Bromley is a film journalist and critic whose work can be found all over the place including right here on Bloody Disgusting. He recently provided the commentary for the Vinegar Syndrome release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and is known as something of a Tobe Hooper expert. He is also the founder and editor of F this Movie!, an eclectic film website, and host of its accompanying podcast. So, to be clear, the authors know their stuff.

Wixson and Bromley divide writing duties roughly in half and though each has a distinctive voice, their writing styles dovetail beautifully into a cohesive whole. Each author plays to their strengths. Being familiar with both their work I didn’t even have to look at the bylines to know that Heather covered Christine and Terror in the Aisles and Patrick took on The Funhouse and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. Wixson’s passion for make-up effects is clear and comes through in many of her contributions. In general, Wixson takes on the “big” titles, the movies that defined the decade the most, and Bromley covers what the more cynical among us might call schlock, but he would likely call pure cinematic bliss. There are exceptions and surprises, of course, as there should be (Patrick covers The Shining for example). Each essay dives into the history behind the film, the major players involved, the reception, and legacy with often surprising aspects drawn from interviews with the filmmakers from various sources and insights from the authors.

For all their in-depth explorations of each film, in general the authors keep their critics’ hats safely stowed, keeping in mind that every entry on the book has its fans. In fact, they may well have sold me on finally hitting play on some of the schlockier offerings of the decade like Evilspeak, Nightbeast, and Blood Diner. Hell, I may even give The Beast Within a spin for shits and giggles. The point is that this book is a celebration through and through. The authors are honest about the critical receptions of the films, which were often unkind, and sometimes let their own opinions shine through, but recognize how beloved even the schlockiest films can become given time and availability. And that is an ongoing theme of In Search of Darkness. What may have been dismissed in its day often becomes revered as the years pass. Variations on the phrase “the years have been kind to…” referring to various maligned projects like The Thing, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The Blob and many, many others, can be found throughout the book for good reason.

Each chapter of the book also includes a rundown of the top horror movies at the box office for the year as well as the top movies of all genres for context. The final page for each year highlights some of the major news and pop culture events including the top songs, albums, and television shows. There is a large central section that pays tribute to the talent involved with the greatest horror films of the 80s including directors, actors, effects artists, and more. This section includes brief biographies of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Stephen King, Tom Savini, Barbara Crampton, Robert Englund, and many others presented in a dynamic and engaging fashion.

One of the beauties of the book is that it covers so much ground. Sure, you’ll find Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, and the Halloween sequels in it, but you’ll also find deeper cuts like The Changeling, The Being, and Tetsuo: The Iron Man. I was happy to find the same love given to Frank Henenlotter and Larry Cohen as to George A. Romero and David Cronenberg. In other words, In Search of Darkness is extraordinarily eclectic, highlighting the diversity that truly defined what is often viewed as a homogenous decade. The authors make the case that the 80s was horror’s greatest decade, and with what they lay out throughout this book, it’s tough to argue against that. I even came across a film or two I hadn’t even heard of before, which has become increasingly rare as the years go by.

At just shy of $85, the cover price may give some horror hounds pause, but believe me, it’s worth every penny. This is a beautiful volume that every fan of 80s horror will want on their shelf or prominently displayed on their coffee table. Filled with favorite titles, hundreds of full color photos, insightful and informative writing, this is simply a must own.

You can order your copy now.

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